Rikurnah
Rikurnah was once comprised of three separate realms all layered on top of each other. These realms were the material realm (historically also called Rikurnah, a term which carried over to the new plane simply because it was the dominant realm), the aether, and the nether. After the first cataclysm, these realms were merged into a single plane. It is the largest plane of the known multiverse, and the only plane known to have native sentient life. The two largest continents of Rikurnah are Kaughlin in the west and Stygia to the east, with smaller continents being the Panamos Isles, Sysleth, Aryia, and the grand Isle of Mer, as well as the half-sunken continent that was once the home of the ancient fey, now called the Lost Isles. Era of The Ancients The first recorded events in history are that of the empire of the Ancients that ruled over Kaughlin, the Panamos Isles, and Sysleth. It is widely believed that the Ancients were actually a civilization of Valen, though how all of their knowledge was lost if this is the case is not known. They were a highly advanced civilization, utilizing alchemy and technology in ways beyond even what modern denizens of Rikurnah are capable of. The crown pinnacle of their advancement is fabled to be the four pillars, alchemical devices that, when combined, allowed a select few Ancients, likely the highest circle of political leaders, to achieve divinity. Writings on these pillars, however, are the most recently dated findings of anything left behind by the ancients. It is believed that they succeeded and became the Seraphim and the first of the angels, explaining their sudden disappearance from Rikurnah at the height of their society. The Great War Since the beginning of their respective civilizations, the brood have worshipped the dragons born of Debuae and the fey had worshipped the dragons born of Janus. The early history of these empires was nothing but eternal war, a never-ending battle of light and darkness between the dragons. For millennia they fought, seemingly with no end, until the undead army of Nexus turned the tide in this infinite war. Faced with their inevitable extinction, the remaining fey relented and abandoned their home land, freezing the Eternia ocean so that they may cross over to Kaughlin, leaving only the flooded Lost Isles in their wake. The Birth of the Elves and the Fall of the Fey While their numbers were too few to replenish their race, the fey were far more advanced than the primitive giants, dwarves, spriggans, satyrs, and naga that they found in the western lands, and with little effort, they were able to start a new empire; this time with the fey as the the ruling class and the “lesser” hobgoblins and beastfolk as their servants. Fearful, however, of their kind’s inevitable demise, the fey sought two possible solutions. First, using advanced alchemy, they created perfect homunculi, the first of the elves; an artificial race that carried their genetic essence and that was capable of propagating with all races of hobgoblin, so that the fey would never truly die from Rikurnah, even after the inevitable extinction of the purebloods. These elves were given a sort of middle class position in the empire, still subservient to the fey, but granted much more freedom, such as the ability to own their own land or serve as knights. The second solution sought was immortality; a way to achieve an undying status for the remaining fey so that they would never go extinct. Information uncovered on the four pillars of the Ancients eluded to a fountain of youth, a way for a mortal to achieve an immutable body that would not age, get sick, or even suffer injury. Several groups of elite knights were tasked with finding this fabled fountain, and after several years, it was discovered by a deep elf knight, Sir Keth. Keth, however, was not wholly loyal to the fey lords, and instead sought to use the fountain for himself so that he could overthrow the fey. There was a dark twist, however, and the fountain was discovered to require souls as a fuel source. For every extra life a mortal wished to gain, one must be sacrificed. Keth tricked an entire battalion of soldiers to march to the fountain, under the guise that was heavily guarded and needed reclaimed. Once they arrived, Keth performed the ritual, draining hundreds of souls from their bodies and funneling them into himself. With this new immortal body and the aid of growing civil unrest, Keth staged an outright revolution, hunting down and slaughtering the remaining fey and declaring himself the new emperor. This was short lived, however, as one knight from his squad had survived the mass sacrifice, working in secret to depose him. This knight, Alastar Ashuvian, was the true heir to the fey empire, though was cast out due to his lineage, born of an elf and fathered by the late first prince. Storming the palace with a group of soldiers, Alastar and Keth fought a long battle, but outnumbered by the rebellious soldiers, Keth was killed repeatedly until his last and original soul was finally cut from his body. With the nobility and the newest emperor gone, the Empire was in near shambles, so as the last remaining possible heir, Alastar was summarily crowned the new emperor by his allies. This was, however, short lived, as after returning stability to the Empire after a few years, Alastar dissolved the Empire and established the Ashuvian Republic in its place.